We made our final stop in Needles, on the California side of the Colorado River. Welcome back to the Golden State-the premium (at least by California standards) gas at the one open Chevron station was $2.449 per gallon. The station was shabby and ill-kept, and the restrooms were so bad that we'd be embarrassed if our dogs had to "go" in that kind of conditions. With that disgusting experience (the first time we've ever felt Californicated) out of the way, we headed home-a 132-mile run across I-40 to Barstow where we merged onto southbound I-15, over Cajon Pass, then west on the Pomona Freeway (State Highway 60) to Whittier. It was good to get home.
Getting there-Funfest-and back in a Corvette was a tremendous experience. If getting to and from Effingham in the most expeditious manner had been our primary concern, driving would've made no sense whatsoever. Fortunately, we didn't have to be ruled by how to make the trip by the quickest means possible. The fun way to go won out over the fast way, and we got to be a part of one of the biggest Corvette events in the country.
Over the course of our 11-day trip, we drove 4,243.2 miles through nine different states. We traversed deserts, high-mountain passes, and broad swathes of plains and grasslands that passed through major cities and small towns which barely qualified as wide spots in the road. The roads we traveled ranged from smooth four- and five-lane interstates to rough and narrow country lanes. Along the way we saw everything from the magnificent Gateway Arch to humble ruts still visible in the western grasslands, where freight-laden wagons pulled by teams of oxen slowly passed 160 years ago. We didn't go looking for America, but we were fortunate enough to experience a sizable portion of it.
The C5 consumed 175.3 gallons of 91 and higher-octane gas at a total fuel cost of $315.07. Our best fuel economy occurred heading east between Springfield and St. Louis, when the automatic coupe averaged 28.45 miles per gallon, and our worst was the leg between Great Bend and Dodge City, in Kansas, when the car got 19.92 mpg. Of course, a combination a multiple decelerations and accelerations for the numerous villages along the route, and sustained triple-digit speeds in between ain't gonna win you any fuel economy awards. So what, it was fun! Our overall measured gas mileage worked out to a quite respectable 24.21 mpg. Gasoline prices ranged from $1.549 per gallon (for 93 octane in St. Louis) to the outrageous $2.449 per gallon for the oxygenated crap forced upon us in California by the smog gestapo. The only times we paid over two bucks a gallon were in California and Phoenix, for the crappiest-quality fuel of the trip. On the eastern leg of our journey, our average speed (per the Driver Information Center) was well over 70 mph. Thanks to a lot of sightseeing on the return trip, our overall average speed dropped to just a hair over 66.
Outside of needing to replace the wiper blades and the batteries for both keyless remotes, the coupe required nothing else over the trip except for a refill of the windshield-washer fluid reservoir. We saw no discernable oil consumption during the trip. It behaved flawlessly, performed superbly, and did everything we asked of it.
A great car and a great trip, what more could you ask for?